July 25, 2025

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“For He will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord as in days gone by, as in former years.” (Malachi 3.2c-4)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD TO US:

In order to better understand these verses at the beginning of chapter 3, we need to turn back to Genesis 32. There we will read about “The Golden Calf” incident. When Moses ascended Mount Sinai to receive the word of the Lord, the people persuaded Aaron to fashion for them an idol, a Golden Calf. It was their continued connection to Egypt and showed how the generations since Joseph had slowed adopted the religious practices of Egypt. Aaron, Moses’ brother, was a skilled craftsman. He knew the ways of the priests of Yahweh and of Ra, the Egyptian Sun god. Not everyone in the encampment supported the effort. Joshua and Caleb were among others who waited for Moses to descend the mountain. It was from the tribe of Levi that men were assigned the duties of administration to the Tabernacle of God and the Ark of the Covenant. They were called Levites and took a Levitical vow to honor and serve God alone. Out of the tribe of Levi were, specifically from the sons of Aaron came those who were called to be priests. They would leave the nation in worship and represent the people before God in all their celebrations. As time passed, there was a division between the Levites and the priests. Many priests believed that the Levites were called to be their servants instead of servants of God. How often do we see in our own workplace such delusion and diversion from a true sense of teamwork. We should know that all are called to serve God first and foremost. Within the body of Christ, the Church, our roles as members of the royal priesthood are to serve the Christ. We do not have our descendancy marked by bloodlines and thus prove our position and authority. Jesus confronted the Scribes and Pharisees when they hailed “Abraham as our father” to validate their position above the people. Our true validation comes “in spirit and in truth.” It is by faith that we are called to life and by faith that we should live out our days to serve God and one another.

In today’s scripture reference, it is the Levites who are chosen to be renewed because of their historical roots in serving God before man. When it seemed the priests could not be trusted to act in accordance to the Word of God, God called the Levites into service. As Malachi witnessed the failure of the priests of his day repeating the errors of the past, this call must have brought hope to him and fear to others. That sense of displacement and devaluation is disturbing for those who believed their place in life to be otherwise. Of course, there were many in Israel (and in the world) who experienced such displacement. Just as all priests were Levites not all Levites were priests, so all Jews were of the chosen of God but not all who were called were Jews. The Messianic Promise stretched beyond the confines of Israel to include the whole world in the saving grace and mercy of God. Jesus died for the sins of all. Sadly, not all receive the gift. The harshest punishment will come upon those who are of “the Chosen” but who set aside their chosenness to serve their own self-interest. Notice, too, that the sacrificial system was not abandoned by God. Even when He declared that He had no use of their sacrifices it was because of their intent and lack of respect for the duty and the charge such service represented. We are not beyond the call to sacrifice. It is with a pure heart, clean mind and a right spirit that any of us must serve. That truth becomes the paradigm of holiness and righteousness. Again it was not about externals and the facade of holiness (whitewashed tombs) but about the condition of one’s heart, mind and soul which truly mattered. We must internalize the power of God’s word and its call in our lives. We must avoid “going through the motions” of a life of faith. It is one thing to know what it should look like. It is another for it to “be life.” As James the brother of Jesus and head of the Church in Jerusalem wrote, “Be doers of the Word and not hearers only.” The distinction comes in the difference between hearing and listening. Hearing simply defines the receiving of a message. Listening indicates the internalization of the word for the purposes of action and completing the important dialogue which is occurring for the mutual benefit of all parties. The Levites were listening! Are we?

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works which bring others near to Jesus in faith, hope and love. AMEN.